USCA1 Opinion

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT
____________________
No. 93-1170
UNITED STATES,
Appellee,
v.
LUIS SOLTERO-LOPEZ,
Appellant.
____________________
APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF PUERTO RICO
[Hon. Carmen C. Cerezo, U.S. District Judge]
___________________
____________________
Before
Breyer, Chief Judge,
___________
Torruella and Boudin, Circuit Judges.
______________
____________________
Frank Catala Morales for appellant.
____________________
Epifanio Morales, Assistant United

States Attorney,

with

________________
Guillermo Gil, United States Attorney, Jose A. Quiles Espinosa, Sen
_____________
_______________________
Litigation Counsel, Criminal Division, and Jeanette Mercado Ri
____________________
Assistant United States Attorney, were on brief for appellee.
____________________
December 13, 1993
____________________

BREYER, Chief Judge.

___________
guilty

to

importing cocaine

circumstances for
a

sentencing

prison.

18 U.S.C.

960, 963; U.S.S.G.

U.S.S.G.
in

related charges)

approximately

20

to 25

2; 21 U.S.C.

2D1.1(c) (base

under

years

in

841(a)(1), 952,

offense level of

38);

3B1.1(c) (two level increase for supervisory role

the crime); U.S.S.G.

acceptance

(and

pled

which the Sentencing Guidelines set forth

range of

See
___

Appellant Luis Soltero

of

3E1.1(a) (two level

responsibility);

U.S.S.G.

reduction for
Ch.

5,

Pt.

(sentencing

table).

the government,

In light of Soltero's cooperation with

the district

court departed

downward from

the bottom of the range and sentenced Soltero, instead, to a

prison term of 17 years.
district

Soltero appeals, arguing that the

court should have

departed downward by

more than

just three years.

Soltero, however, cannot avoid the legal fact that
the sentencing statutes (insofar

as here relevant)

him with only a very narrow right to appeal.

permit an appellate
"unreasonable,"
court

see 18 U.S.C.
___

this power

permit

court to set aside a

Although they

departure that is

3742(f)(2), they

in the context

provide

of other

give the

provisions that

defendants to appeal only upward, and the government

to appeal

only downward, departures.

To be

specific, the

-22

relevant

provision

permits

the

defendant

to

appeal the

reasonableness

of

sentence specified
." Id.
__

sentence that

"is

greater

than the

in the applicable guideline range

3742(a)(3).

. . .

Here, Soltero's sentence is less than

____

the "sentence specified" in the guidelines, not "greater."

Soltero tries to
out

that the relevant

appeal

a sentence

incorrect

avoid this

problem by

statute also permits

that

"was

imposed as

pointing

a defendant to
a

result of

application of the sentencing guidelines."

3742(a)(2).

We

have specifically held, however,

provision ordinarily does not give

an

Id.
__

that this

a defendant the right to

appeal from a court's refusal to depart from the guidelines.

_______
United States v. Tucker, 892
_____________
______

F.2d 8, 10-11 (1st Cir. 1989).

See also United States v. Romolo,

________ _____________
______
1991) (citing cases).

937 F.2d 20, 22 (1st Cir.

Nor does it apply where

depart in the defendant's favor, but does

to satisfy

the defendant.

a court does

not depart enough

United States v.
_____________

Pighetti, 898
________

F.2d 3, 4 (1st Cir. 1990).

We

use the word

review is not absolute.

"ordinarily" because the

ban on

Rather, we have found an "incorrect

application of the sentencing guidelines" where a sentencing

court

has misunderstood how the guidelines -- including the

statutes

and guidelines governing departure -- are supposed

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to

work.

alleges

Thus, we have reviewed

that

the district

court

cases where a defendant

erroneously believed

lacked the legal power to depart in the circumstances.

_____
e.g., United States
____ _____________
1993) (remanding
Amparo,
______

v. Rivera, 994 F.2d 942,

______

it
See,
___

953 (1st Cir.

case for

resentencing); United States v.

______________

961 F.2d 288, 292

(1st Cir.) (citing cases), cert.

_____

denied, 113 S. Ct. 224 (1992).

______

And we are willing to assume

that we could also review, and correct, a departure decision

that

reflected

some

misunderstanding.
1150, 1157 (1st
may

not

deciding

rely

other

kind

of

fundamental

See United States v. Mariano,

___ ______________
_______
Cir. 1993) (noting that

on constitutionally

to forgo

or

substantial assistance).

curtail

983 F.2d

a sentencing court

proscribed
downward

factors

departure

in
for

That assumption, however,

for the record

makes clear that the district

misunderstand the guidelines.

would

have departed

tried to

by more

create a kind

his co-defendants
previously

held

United States v.
_____________

does not help

-- an
cannot

court did not

Soltero says that

than three

the court

years had

of sentencing parity among

equalization effort
provide

basis

Wogan, 938 F.2d 1446,

_____

cert. denied, 112 S. Ct.

____________

Soltero,

it not
him and

that we
for

have

departure.

1448-49 (1st Cir.),

441 (1991); United States v. Carr,

_____________
____
-44

932

F.2d 67, 73

(1991).

(1st Cir.), cert. denied, 112

_____________

S. Ct. 112

But that is not what the district court said it was

doing.
Rather, the sentencing judge said the following:
I am well aware of the cooperation of
the defendant.
But that is one factor

the Court must take into account.

I
must view the whole case, the overall
cooperation and the participation of the
defendant too.
And also view him in
respect to other
defendants because
there are other defendants here who did
go to trial, who did put the government
through its burden of proof.
Yes, they
have a right to do that.
But their
participation in the offense, a person
like Julio Luciano Mosquera, is minimal
compared to this defendant.
And that person [Mosquera] because of
the severity of the punishment of these
counts will spend a very long stretch.
And he is a person that came into the
scene just hours,
hours before the
arrest.
So this [Soltero] is a key
participant.
This is not somebody who
came in at the last moment. I have to
give perspective to
the whole case
because otherwise, we will be doing with
the Sentencing Guidelines precisely are
supposed
[sic]
to prevent.
The
unfairness, lack of uniformity and more
sorrow.
So I have taken into account
his [Soltero's] cooperation. But that's
as far as it will take him because his
cooperation cannot be seen isolated from
his role in the offense.
Which was
mayor [sic] in this case. He was a key
figure
in
the
whole
conspiracy.
Reconsideration is denied.

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Nothing in

this statement

suggests an

explicit effort

"equalize"

sentences as among defendants.

to

The judge simply

spoke of the defendant's cooperation and the fact that (when

viewed in light of his co-conspirators' conduct) his role in
the offense was "key" and supervisory.
cooperating offender's conduct,
offense,

when deciding the

1156-57.

Soltero makes

consideration somehow

including his

extent of a

seems to us perfectly reasonable.

To take account of a
role in

the

downward departure

See Mariano, 983 F.2d at

___ _______

no convincing argument that

reflects a basic

such a

misunderstanding of

the guidelines.
For these
court is
Affirmed.
________

reasons, the

judgment of

the district

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